Colonel Pat Lang's Outpost - "A Committee of Correspondence"

12 February 2018

Time to clean up the Homs desert pocket.

"On February 11, the Tiger Forces began redeploying their units and equipment from the northeastern Hama countryside to Homs governorate. According to Syrian pro-government activists, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Tiger Forces and the Russian Aerospace Forces are preparing to launch a large scale military operation against the besieged ISIS forces in the Homs desert.

The SAA and its allies had besieged more than 500 ISIS fighters in the Homs desert after securing the western bank of the Euphrates River on December 17, 2017. Since then, the SAA has not launched any military operation in the Homs desert as it was busy conducting much needed defensive and offensive operations in Idlib, Hama and Aleppo governorates.

Syrian experts believe that the besieged ISIS fighters in Homs desert pocket are well armed and experienced as most of them participated in several attacks against the SAA in 2017. Moreover, it is high possibility that prominent commanders of ISIS are currently besieged in the pocket.

A source close to the Tiger Forces told SouthFront that the military operation against ISIS in the Homs desert pocket will not begin soon, as the SAA and its allies are currently resupplying their troops and waiting for the weather there to improve." SF

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Well pilgrims, having watched the Syria war closely for several years I feel confident in saying that the transformation of the SAA from the garrison army of a dictatorial state into a first rate fighting force is remarkable. Behind the shield provided by the Russian supply and training efforts the leaders who emerged from the maelstrom of the war are obviously a pretty solid lot. Among them one man stands apart in his leadership qualities. That is Suheil Hassan, the Alawi creator and commander of the Tiger Forces armored task force. He stands at the left in this photo. The picture says much of his leadership style, relaxed, informal, and at home with his people. If he survives the war, he will be a lion who will dominate the regional scene. I would think that his chances of survival are not good. His rivals in Syria must hate him. The Israelis are eventually going to focus on him.

The Tiger Force has been fully engaged in the recent eradication of the east Hama pocket. Now they have been pulled out of the line of battle for rest, re-fitting and re-supply in preparation for eradication of the big IS pocket out in the eastern desert south of the Sukhna-Deir al-Zor highway. I presume that they will form the spearheads for this operation, reinforced by other SAA formations and National Defense Force irregular militia. As usual the force will ride a wave of air attack in its progress.

When that is done, you can expect the Tiger Forces to return to the Idlib Province front. pl

Comments

Time to clean up the Homs desert pocket.

"On February 11, the Tiger Forces began redeploying their units and equipment from the northeastern Hama countryside to Homs governorate. According to Syrian pro-government activists, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Tiger Forces and the Russian Aerospace Forces are preparing to launch a large scale military operation against the besieged ISIS forces in the Homs desert.

The SAA and its allies had besieged more than 500 ISIS fighters in the Homs desert after securing the western bank of the Euphrates River on December 17, 2017. Since then, the SAA has not launched any military operation in the Homs desert as it was busy conducting much needed defensive and offensive operations in Idlib, Hama and Aleppo governorates.

Syrian experts believe that the besieged ISIS fighters in Homs desert pocket are well armed and experienced as most of them participated in several attacks against the SAA in 2017. Moreover, it is high possibility that prominent commanders of ISIS are currently besieged in the pocket.

A source close to the Tiger Forces told SouthFront that the military operation against ISIS in the Homs desert pocket will not begin soon, as the SAA and its allies are currently resupplying their troops and waiting for the weather there to improve." SF

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Well pilgrims, having watched the Syria war closely for several years I feel confident in saying that the transformation of the SAA from the garrison army of a dictatorial state into a first rate fighting force is remarkable. Behind the shield provided by the Russian supply and training efforts the leaders who emerged from the maelstrom of the war are obviously a pretty solid lot. Among them one man stands apart in his leadership qualities. That is Suheil Hassan, the Alawi creator and commander of the Tiger Forces armored task force. He stands at the left in this photo. The picture says much of his leadership style, relaxed, informal, and at home with his people. If he survives the war, he will be a lion who will dominate the regional scene. I would think that his chances of survival are not good. His rivals in Syria must hate him. The Israelis are eventually going to focus on him.

The Tiger Force has been fully engaged in the recent eradication of the east Hama pocket. Now they have been pulled out of the line of battle for rest, re-fitting and re-supply in preparation for eradication of the big IS pocket out in the eastern desert south of the Sukhna-Deir al-Zor highway. I presume that they will form the spearheads for this operation, reinforced by other SAA formations and National Defense Force irregular militia. As usual the force will ride a wave of air attack in its progress.

When that is done, you can expect the Tiger Forces to return to the Idlib Province front. pl